About us
We work while your building sleeps
Lamplighter started in 2012 with three offices in St. Matthews and one rule: write down what clean means, then prove it every week. Today our 58 employees clean 85 buildings across Louisville and Southern Indiana.
Why a cleaning company needed a checklist
Our founder, Renee Okafor, spent eight years running night crews for a national janitorial company. The work was fine. The problem was that nobody could say what had been promised. Office managers got a new crew every few months, a vague scope, and a phone number that went to a call center.
So she started a company that does three unglamorous things on purpose: a written checklist for every building, the same crew lead every night, and a supervisor who scores the work and sends you the score. Everything else on this site follows from that.
We are still a local company. The phone is answered in Louisville, the night desk is staffed by people who know your building, and the owner still walks accounts with a supervisor every week.
Four commitments in every contract
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1
One crew lead per building
The same lead runs your building every night. You get their name and a direct line, and a substitute is briefed from your site checklist, not guessing.
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2
Days to a written proposal
After the walkthrough you get a written scope, the checklist for your building and a monthly price within two business days.
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52
Supervisor inspections a year
A night supervisor walks every account at least once a week with a scored checklist. You get the score and the photos, good or bad.
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30
Day out, after the first 90
Contracts run month to month after the first 90 days. Thirty days of written notice ends it, from either side, with no fee.
The night shift
What we actually do between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
This is what a three-night office account looks like on a Tuesday. Your checklist sets the details; the rhythm stays the same.
- 5:45 p.m. Keys signed out The crew lead signs your keys out of our locked key box. The log shows who, when and which building.
- 6:30 p.m. Arrive and check the issue log Disarm with a personal code, read any notes you left, and check yesterday's open items first.
- 6:40 p.m. Trash, recycling and desks Every bin, every desk surface that is clear, and the kitchen recycling sorted the way your building sorts it.
- 7:30 p.m. Restrooms and touch points Cleaned, disinfected at label dwell time, and restocked. Handles, switches and buttons across the floor.
- 8:30 p.m. Break rooms and glass Counters, sinks, appliance fronts, tables. Entrance glass and the smudges at hand height.
- 9:15 p.m. Floors Vacuum traffic lanes and open areas, mop hard floors, burnish on the scheduled nights.
- 10:15 p.m. Lead walks the checklist Anything missed gets fixed now. Anything broken gets a photo for your report.
- 10:40 p.m. Lights off, alarm set Doors checked, alarm armed with a personal code, keys back in the box.
- 7:00 a.m. The night report is in your inbox Done, notes, and anything that needs you, like a dripping tap or a jammed paper towel dispenser.
The crews
How we hire and train the people with your keys
Employees, not gig workers
Every cleaner is a W-2 employee with set hours. People who know their schedule stay longer, and people who stay know your building.
Paid training before the first shift
Chemical safety, the equipment, and your site checklist. Medical crews add bloodborne pathogens training. Nobody learns on your floor.
Leads promoted from the crews
Most of our crew leads started as cleaners here. They know the work, and they know what a supervisor will look for.
- Insured, bonded, and happy to prove it We carry general liability, workers' compensation and a janitorial bond that covers theft by an employee. A certificate of insurance goes out within one business day, and we add your building or landlord as additional insured when the lease asks for it.
- Background-checked employees, not subcontractors Every cleaner is a W-2 employee who passed a background check before getting a key. We do not hand your building to a subcontractor you never met.
- Keys and alarm codes are logged Keys live in a locked box with a sign-out log. Each crew member gets their own alarm code where your system allows it, so you can see exactly who came and went.
- Trained before the first shift Chemical safety and the safety data sheets for every product we bring. Medical crews also complete bloodborne pathogens training and learn color-coded microfiber so restroom cloths never touch a desk.
The people you will deal with
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Renee Okafor
Founder and operations
Started Lamplighter in 2012 after eight years running night crews for a national janitorial company. Still walks a building with a supervisor every week.
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Marcus Bell
Night operations manager
Runs the night desk and the supervisor team. If an inspection score drops, he is the one who calls you.
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Tasha Nguyen
Account manager
Does most walkthroughs and writes the proposals. Former office manager, so she knows what you are tired of.
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Luis Herrera
Floor care lead
Runs strip and wax, recoats and carpet extraction across every account, after hours.
Green cleaning, honestly
"Green" is easy to say and hard to check. Here is exactly what we use, where, and what we will not claim.
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Labelled general cleaners where they work
For everyday cleaning we use general-purpose and glass cleaners that carry a third-party label such as Green Seal or EPA Safer Choice. They do the job on most office soil, and they are easier on the night crew too.
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Disinfectants only where they belong
Restrooms, touch points and medical areas get an EPA-registered disinfectant. We do not spray it everywhere, and we are wary of any product sold as a green disinfectant that cleans everything.
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Microfiber and HEPA vacuums
Microfiber picks up more with less chemical. HEPA-filter vacuums keep dust in the bag instead of the air. Both are standard on every crew.
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What we cannot promise
We are not a LEED consultant and we do not certify buildings. If your building runs a green cleaning policy, send it and we will match it, then show you the safety data sheets.
Where we clean
No travel charge inside the service area.
Louisville Metro, St. Matthews, Jeffersontown, Middletown, Shepherdsville and Southern Indiana (Jeffersonville, Clarksville, New Albany).
Ready by morning
Meet us on a walkthrough.
The account manager who walks your building writes your proposal, and stays your contact after you sign.